• Probably the last man who knew how it worked had been tortured to death years before. Or as soon as it was installed. Killing the creator was a traditional method of patent-protection.

    Terry Pratchett: Probably the last man who knew how it worked had been tortured to death years before. Or as soon as it was installed. Killing the creator was a traditional method of patent-protection.
    "Small Gods (Discworld, Book 13)". Book by Terry Pratchett (p. 307), 1992.